Pete's podcast on community development: Recent Episodes
Peter Westoby
An exploration of all things community development in dialogue with citizens and practitioners around the world. Dr Peter Westoby has been on the community development journey for over 30 years, as citizen practitioner, professional and academic. He's published over 50 professional journal articles and 15 books on community development. He's worked in many countries, including South Africa, Uganda, Australia, Nepal, India, Vanuatu.... He's currently a practitioner at the Hummingbird House hospice, a consultant with Community Praxis Co-op, and a visiting professor at Uni of Free State
This is a 7 minute keynote at the 2023 Community Development Queensland Conference on the future of community development, by Peter Westoby. It was part of a panel of four people. This was recorded by a friend in the audience, so not perfect audio. Many people have enjoyed this short talk, particularly the 3rd point, so enjoy it as a podcast.
In this 3rd yarn we explore the 'work' needed, or the practice, of preparing to be welcomed onto country.
Check these out on ethics and Listening
Buchanan, J., Collard, L. & Palmer, D. (2018). Ngapartji ngapartji ninti and koorliny karnya quoppa katitjin (Respectful and ethical research in central Australia and the south west). Learning Communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts [Special Issue: Ethical relationships, ethical research in Aboriginal contexts: Perspectives from central Australia], 23, 32-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18793/LCJ2018.23.04
Buchanan, J., Collard, L., Palmer, D. (2019) Koorliny birniny, ni, quoppa katatjin: respect and ethics in working with Indigenous Australian communities. In Westoby, P. and Banks, S. (eds). Ethics in Community Development. Routledge: London. https://www.cdqld.org/uploads/7/0/8/6/70862165/buchanan_collard___palmer_2019_ethics_equity_and_cd.pdf
This second conversation explored arriving on 'country', being growled at, and listening practices. (And this time, apologies for Dave's big sneezes). The yarn moves from listening as a practice to a set of practices. A 9-fold framework of listening is explored among others.
Listening as a set of practices:
Goddard,C. 1996. Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara to English Dictionary [Revised 2nd edition]. Alice Springs: Institute for Aboriginal Development. 306pp.
Ellis, Elizabeth Marrkilyi ; Green, Jennifer ; Kral, Inge (2019): In the Time of Their Lives. Wangka kutjupa-kutjuparringu: How talk has changed in the Western Desert. The Australian National University Data Commons.dataset.
10.25911/5dcb4ddd89c0f
A first conversation with Dave and Jen (both from Western Australia, teaching/writing about community development at Murdoch University) about their journey into working with indigenous Australians (And sorry about the phone beeping in the middle :)) The yarn focuses on 'becoming family', language and other practices. Some ideas referenced in the yarn can be further explored here:
Noongarpedia site
https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/nys/Keny_mia
Buchanan Jennie, Collard Len, Cumming Ingrid, Palmer David, Scott Kim and Hartley John. "Kaya wandjoo ngala Noongarpedia – Welcome to our Noongarpedia" Cultural Science Journal 9, no.1 (2016): 1-21. https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.89
In this 3rd conversation between Peter Westoby and Richard Warner, we explore the meta-level work of taking innovative and effective social enterprise work to scale. Scaling-up is contrasted with scaling-across and horizontal learning approaches. Richard shares stories of Nundah Community Enterprise Co-op's experiments in going to scale - including the Community Enterprise Initiative in partnership with Community Praxis Co-op, and the work of Queensland Social Enterprise Council (celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year).
In this 2nd conversation between Peter Westoby and Richard Warner, Richard explains why the cooperative model was chosen for their social enterprise. We then discuss some key lessons from the 25 year journey of the Nundah Community Enterprise Co-op - such as: maintaining the practice of listening/the centrality of people's voices; balancing participation and productivity; becoming financially literate (building capacity through the enterprise system - and Richard makes a confession); and working from an organisational framework.
In this first of three conversations between Peter Westoby and Richard Warner we scaffold the conversation acknowledging that the two cooperatives we work for - Community Praxis Co-op and Nundah Community Enterprise Co-op - are celebrating their 25th year anniversaries. We link the celebration with the 50th anniversary of E. F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful (1973) - 'economics as if people matter'. Richard then shares the story of the co-op, moving from:
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the micro-level of stories/listening to people's lived experience,
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to the mezzo-level of a small group of people living with cognitive and intellectual disabilities experimenting informally with work,
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through to the macro-level of structuring and registering a formal cooperative - and being a catalyst for social procurement with Brisbane City Council.
From small, to nearly a $2 million annual turnover and 50+ people employed (35 with cognitive and intellectual disabilities), the co-op is an inspirational story of social enterprise developed 'by the people'.
For further details check out: https://www.communitypraxis.org/ (and particularly the Community Enterprise Initiative link) and also www.ncec.com.au/.
In this 5th and final episode on Three Rivers Flowing, Dr Lynda Shevellar officially launches the book through a delightful conversation with Peter Westoby. Taking some slightly new angles Lynda explores 'Why Now?' with Peter (why did you write this book) and what it can offer community development practitioners. There's a fresh exploration of what the phenomenological step means, how we practice 'sitting on the rim' (both inside a social process, yet trying to observe it), and we see 'whole systems' shaping our practice.
In this 4th episode on the book Three Rivers Flowing Rachael and Peter explore the fourth and final elemental - expanding consciousness. In this episode Peter explains how expanding consciousness requires: 1. Historical work - seeing how the past haunts and makes sense of much of the present; 2. Humble work - to see with others is a necessity (alone is very limiting); 3. Holistic seeing - moving from the parts to the whole (in a group, community, organisation, social systems such as patriarchy) and 4. The hermeneutic reversal (shifting from wilful seeing/sensing to receptivity with all the disruptions that might unfold).
You can purchase the book here or where all good books are sold.
The book will be launched in Brisbane on Tuesday 18th April 2023 from 5-7pm in New Farm. RSVP details here
In this 3rd episode exploring my new book Three Rivers Flowing, we talk about the practice of aliveness and what it means in the social field. Being both in the moment and in movement, as well as setting/holding a clear intention are crucial. Sitting on the rim between plans and being responsive and receptive indicate a quality of alive social practice. The conversation then explores what it means to work from the inside-out as opposed to importing or imposing social packages onto groups, communities and organisations. We finish with 'touching the whole' as a key part of aliveness.
You can pick up a copy of the new book at the following link or from most book retailers
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Phenomenological-Reflective-Practice-Ecological/dp/0367631288
In this 2nd episode on Three Rivers Flowing, Peter discusses Elemental One on observation and developing the faculty of seeing and sensing and their importance in the social and ecological fields.
The book can be purchased from all major book retailers:
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Phenomenological-Reflective-Practice-Ecological/dp/0367631288
In this first of 4 conversations, Peter shares what the three rivers are of Three Rivers Flowing - dialogue, soul and reflective practice. Rachael asks about the meaning of phenomenology and what it can mean in the social field. The history of the book, linked to The Proteus Initiative and Allan Kaplan's Artists of the Invisible are explained. The book is being launched in Brisbane on April 18th so get in touch if you'd like to come along (or check out Peter's Linkedin), or purchase the book via Routledge: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Phenomenological-Reflective-Practice-Ecological/dp/0367631288/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1675567654&sr=1-12
In this second twenty minute conversation, Cormac explains the three-fold compass of the book: Discover, Connect, Mobilise; and the seven key functions of a community (you'll have to read it folks). Interwoven wth stories and ideas, this conversation has got me off to my local library insisting that the book is available there for local residents and citizens to read.
In this 21 minute episode, Cormac introduced us to his 'writing practice' (an unplanned conversation) and then the key intentions of this new book. Albeit, Peter sees it as a comprehensive 'resource' for mobilising citizen action in neighbourhoods. Cormac is the founder of Nurture Development, and he works locally and globally. More information about this new book is available here: https://theconnected.community/
This 23 minute episode, a conversation between Peter and Jacques really goes to the heart of some contemporary challenges. The 'social' world of community sits 'between' the individual and institutions. Yet the social is being eroded. Linking the phenomenon of social media to the decreasing capacities for attention and presence, we explore how to restore respectful relationships in a caring economy. Questions are asked such as, how do we reinvest in time in places, relationships, conversations with full presence? Why is this so important? How do we restore the quality of the social-community spaces? I felt super alive in this conversation, now challenged afresh to put my 'smart' phone aside and be with people/place.
In this 23 minute conversation Jacques and Peter respond to the question posed in the 1st episode - what is a new story for our economy? As such we explore the 'story' of a caring economy - and riffing off the new book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow, Jacques provides an historical overview and invites us to think about a different kind of relationality - with one another and nature.
What a delightful conversation - on why community economics is a crucial part of CD history, and why it's more important than ever now. In this 23 minute yarn an almost 80 year old Jacques (from Borderlands Cooperative, recovering academic and editor of Australia's Community Journal) and Peter discuss issues such as the meaning of economy/ecology, examples of community economics and how we must examine the principles of a brutal hyper-capitalism as we search for new forms of gift-obligation community economics.
In this 20 minute conversation Peter and Sue continue to explore the importance of strengthening civil society as a response to right wing populism. With relief we riff off the Australian election labour party win (with women/independents/green resurgences), foregrounding local strategies such as kitchen table conversations - places where people can really listen and discuss - not debate with a view to winning arguments. Part of the work of community development practice includes fostering these civil society spaces of learning (and unlearning) and learning the 'manners' of engaging a broader inclusive community (that expands historically).
In this 2nd episode on our series on right ring populism and community development, Sue Kenny discusses the significance of strengthening civil society. Then, drawing on the story of Putin's rise to power in Russia, Sue explains some of her personal story of seeing civil society gradually closed down there - a classic way that right wing populists draw from their own 'playbook'. We finally consider the intersections of populism and privatisation - economic interests.
In this first conversation on right-wing populism and community development, Professor Sue Kenny explains the key characteristics of right-wing populism (mentioning left-wing too), and we explore why it's so important to understand for community development practitioners. Sue, with fire-in-the-belly, starts to describe the difference between community development ways of thinking and populist ways.
In this 3rd and final 23 minute conversation Charlie talks about some of his dreams and aspirations to support the professionalisation of the CD practice profession around the world. We finish riffing off one another - foregrounding the need to hold BOTH CD as a movement and a profession. Disclaimer - as Charlie says upfront, in any mention of the International Association of Community Development (IACD) he is not speaking in any official capacity (they're Charlie's personal views).
Riffing off one another for 20 minutes Charlie McConnell and Peter explore the the possibilities and challenges of professionalisation of community development. As a starting point Charlie describes what he was saying in his opening chapter of the new IACD book (International Community Development Practice, Routledge, 2022), 'The Making of an Empowering Profession'. Peter and Charlie then briefly explore what is needed in the professional development space - not just CD workers, but managers, policy makers and so forth.
This 1st of three 20 minute conversations introduces the listener to Charlie McConnell. Charlie's had a long long history in CD; was a past president of the International Association of Community Development (IACD), has worked for Schumacher College, the CD Foundation, Carnegie Trust and has been instrumental in national training standards for CD in the UK. In this episode we catch a glimpse of Charlie's early days in CD world, and begin to discuss why there is a need for CD professionalisation.
In this 3rd part of our 1 hour conversation Cormac Russell explores community as a better narrative than ones institutions provide, moving from discovery to connecting elements of our practice. Telling stories, sharing wisdom, expressing some anger, Cormac provides some potent and poignant analysis of what ABCD approaches to CD can offer. Listeners can learn more by googling Cormac's work, checking out his web site www.nurturedevelopment.org (which curates a huge array of free resources), buying the book Rekindling Democracy (and also looking out for his latest in September - The Connected Community).
In this 2nd part of our 1 hour conversation, Cormac Russell chats with Peter Westoby about the ABCD 'model' and some of the challenges of institutional assumptions and how community development or/and community offers a different way forward. We also start to explicitly draw on Cormac's new book with John McKnight, The Connected Community, which offers a profoundly accessible framework of practice.
In this first episode (21 mins) of a 1 hour conversation (split into 3 episodes), Cormac Russell shares personal and professional parts of his story in discovering community development, particularly the assets-based-community-development (ABCD) 'model'. Loved every minute of this, riffing between Australia and Ireland. I can't wait to meet Cormac over a pint of Guinness in Dublin one day.
In this 3rd and final 24 minute conversation between Peter Westoby and Dee Brooks (Jeder Institute), Dee talks about what some of the global movement looks like, why it is growing (and has been for a number of decades), some of the risks (cookie-cutter/monetising), some of the key questions the movement is grappling with, and also how people can connect into it.
In this 21 minute episode Peter and Dee explore what the ABCD approach to community development is. Not the '101' version, but the heart and soul of it. Dee describes how she discovered this approach, explains the 'what', gives a story (a key asset in itself). Finally Dee invites people to join the movement (check out Jeder Institute website; or )
In this first of three conversations between Peter Westoby and Dee Brooks (The Jeder Institute), the listener gets to meet Dee the person. Dee, an Oceania representative of the International Association of Community Development (IACD) and a director of the Jeder Institute (bringing the ABCD approach into the world) is a natural story-teller - and here she explores her initial journey into youth work, community development and then a significant 5-year nomadic chapter of her life.
In this conversation, Peter Westoby and Dave Andrews explore Dave's experiences and insight into working across difference. Bouncing of Adam Kahane's book Collaborating with the Enemy, Dave tells stories about his work - particularly interfaith dialogue since 9/11.
This 2nd episode, as a conversation between Peter Westoby and Dave Andrews, explores Dave's take on how community development practitioners understand their work as amateur (for the love of it), radical and revolutionary. The conversation also considers how we 'de-professionalise' ourselves and work within organisations increasingly concerned with professional roles, boundaries, compliance and so forth.
Dave Andrews, a long-term community worker, has inspired many others with his writing, his local neighbourhood and international development work. With well over 40 years of experience (in places such as Afghanistan, India and Australia), he has been a mentor to myself and many other young aspiring social change workers. Check out this 19 minute interview with Dave, and I'd say the take home message for me is: 'if you love community you destroy community; if you love people you build community'.
In this 21 minutes [yes, slightly long, apologies] episode, Peter and Tina explore the rich contribution of E. F. (Fritz) Schumacher, who wrote the seminal book Small Is Beautiful (1973). This book and Schumacher's thinking on small vs. gigantic, Buddhist Economics, and appropriate technology, pathed the way for what we now think of as the Community Economic Development (CED) Tradition. We invite community development workers to become economically literate and add CED to their social and justice efforts.
In this 5th episode, the first of 2022, Peter Westoby and Tina Lathouras pay tribute to bell hooks, who died at the age of 66 in 2021, and also explore three of her key ideas and what they mean for community development. The three ideas include: 'I came to theory because of my pain', the 'work of love' and the 'problem of systems and cultures of domination and white supremacy thinking' (intersecting across racism, sexism, capitalism...).
In this 7 minute episode Peter Westoby wraps up for the 2021 podcast series, quickly reminding listeners of the importance of dialogue, soul, participatory work and wisdom/traditions. Peter explains what we'll kick off with in 2022, and invites feedback/ideas from listeners. As such, if you have any ideas about what you'd like Peter to bring to 2022 please contact him on peter@communitypraxis.org
In this 19 minute conversation between Peter Westoby and Tina Lathouras we explore a couple of contributions for community development thinking from Arundhati Roy (with the mantra 'don't fragment solidarity') and Jane Addams (with the mantra 'practice mutual accompaniment).
This 19 minute conversation between Tina Lathouras and Peter Westoby explores the work of Vandana Shiva (with the mantra 'be a seed saver') and Gustavo Esteva (with the mantra, 'deprofessionalise ourselves'). There are many connections between these two living practitioner-thinkers, including the Gandhian tradition of nonviolent resistance and commoning.
In this 18 minute conversation Peter Westoby and Tina Lathouras again explore the popular education traditions and the mantras 'start with the people, but don't stay with the people' (Paulo Freire) and 'questions are the art of the gentle revolution (Fran Peavey). Mixed with some stories from Nepal and Australia, Peter and Tina think about the art of questioning.
In this first episode of Series 4, Peter Westoby and Tina (Athena) Lathouras explore the role of traditions and wisdom's/mantra's in thinking about, and reflecting on community development practice. We focus on the popular education tradition, particularly Myles Horton contribution - and the mantra of 'education first, organising second'.
In this 17 minute final episode on participatory community development Anthony Kelly explains meta-method - working beyond and alongside, breaking down borders, boundaries and walls. It's working 'beyond the local', structurally building alliances, federations; but is mainly a mindset. This brings an end to our series on participatory community development. Look out next week for the start of Series 4 with Dr Athena (Tina) Lathouras exploring the role of 'traditions and mantra's in reflective practice' (which builds on the book 40 Critical Thinkers in Community Development).
In this 20 minute episode Anthony Kelly talks to Peter about this most important level of the method-framework - macro-method. Focusing on: 1. how the authority structures (elected and appointed) need to understand the difference between a service-delivery program and a participatory program; 2. the 4 principles of macro-method; and 3. how to incorporate a participatory development program into an organisation that is historically oriented towards service delivery.
In 27 minutes Anthony Kelly and Peter Westoby explore the 7 steps of mezzo method - a way for workers to work within small groups. As Anthony says, 'the most exciting part of the method', which includes people sharing stories, discovering the resources, shaping a framework with the people, and finding a pathway forward for action.
In this 18 minute episode Anthony Kelly and Peter Westoby explore the craft of mezzo group - participatory groups. Building on the implicate and micro-level practice, we explore how we work intentionally with the small group in communities (sub-community of 3-12/20 people) - the mezzo (mezzanine), between household and whole village/neighbourhood. We examine the what, why, the types of mezzo-groups (self-help etc.) and then the role of people/leaders/experts in the mezzo.
In this 16 minutes conversation Rachael Donovan and Peter Westoby explore the 2nd level of participatory community development - micro-method. Focusing on relationship building, micro-method aims for the worker and community member to be 'alongside' one another, experiencing a sense of solidarity. The episode particularly focuses on the micro-method principle of 'to see what the people see', including the profound difficulties of this in everyday practice.
In this 2nd episode of the series on participatory community development, Peter Westoby interviews Anthony Kelly exploring additional introductory comments and also implicate method (the first of the five levels of practice in this method framework).
In episode #1 of this new series - which will include a number of interviews/conversations with Peter Westoby, Rachael Donovan and Anthony Kelly - we introduce Participatory Community Development (CD) as an approach to social change. This 14 minute interview considers the differences between service delivery and participatory CD, introduces what a framework is, and particularly the 'method framework' that this series will explore in depth: implicate, micro, mezzo, macro, meta. The series explores the content of the 2018 book by Anthony Kelly & Peter Westoby Participatory Development Practice: Using traditional and contemporary frameworks (Practical Action Press).
In this fourth and final episode on Soul and Community Development (CD), Rachael Donovan and Peter Westoby consider first the Gandhian tradition of CD, particularly the contributions of nonviolence, collective resistance, self-governance and economic self-reliance; and second R. Tagore's bringing together of the poetic and political work, rescuing the 'soul from the Great Machine world'.
In this 3rd episode of the Soul and Community Development (CD) series, Rachael Donovan and Peter Westoby have a 15 minute conversation about colonisation of the soul, resistance and what it all means for CD workers/thinkers. The conversation explores the 'politics of attention' within capitalist economics and also focuses on "Bifo's" work around soul and the contemporary workplaces where most of our creative energies are directed - leaving little 'in the tank' for community and convivial life. Soul, felt as gravity in the body summons us to follow 'the nudge of the soul'.
This second episode in the Soul and Community Development series focuses on what James Hillman calls 'Soul of the World'. This ensouling the world perspective, focusing on the role of the sensory organ of the heart in rigorous observation and imagination (to see/sense images/metaphors/symbols to make sense of a social phenomena) is explored in an 11 minute conversation between Peter Westoby and Rachael Donovan, a community practitioner working in SE Queensland.
This is the first episode of my short 4 part series on Soul and Community Development. Building on my two books Creating Us: Community work with soul, and Soul, Community and Social Change, we explore what I mean by soul, drawing on the depth psychology tradition (C. Jung, James Hillman, Mary Watkins, Marian Woodman) and consider what it all might mean for community development. It's exciting stuff - from the heights of the Icarus Myth to the depths of Covid ruins.
This is a final 9 minute conversation between Anthony Kelly and Peter Westoby on the power and limits of dialogue. It wraps up this first series on dialogue and community development. Stay tuned for the next 4 podcasts over the next 4 Sunday's on Soul and Community Development.
A 12 minutes conversation between Anthony Kelly and Peter Westoby on Skill #4 in dialogue theory and practice - understanding how to change the story through four types of grammatical variance, and always doing this with permission to ensure ownership by the people.
A 9 minute conversation between Peter Westoby and Anthony Kelly on skill #3 in dialogue theory and practice - managing the text in dialogue through unearthing and working with key words or heurisms.
This is a ten minute conversation between Peter Westoby and Anthony Kelly on skill #2 in dialogue theory and practice - understanding the three movements that enable bonding and trust-building. It's a beauty, and requires practice and intention :)
This is episode 2 in this delightful first series on dialogue. It's an eleven minute conversation between myself and Anthony Kelly on skill #1 in dialogue theory and practice - understanding the difference between text, commentary and subtext.
This is a short conversation between Peter Westoby and Anthony Kelly on What is Dialogue, and Who it could be helpful for. This is the first episode in our season on the contribution of dialogue theory and practice in different social and ecological fields.